


Vigilante

by auselysium



Category: Coronation Street
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-25
Updated: 2016-09-25
Packaged: 2018-08-17 05:50:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8132734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/auselysium/pseuds/auselysium
Summary: Todd's mission to bring down Pat and Vinny, leads to Billy racing through the hospital, not sure if Todd is alive or dead.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written after yesterday's chat with Tilly's Troops on twitter. Written quickly so a bit of a mess but done. :)

Billy has hurried these halls countless times. Hurrying to a grandmother’s bedside who probably won’t make it through the night to administer her last rites. Rushing in for a cot side christening, the parents teary-eyed with shock, hoping the surgery is enough to save their day old baby but not being quite sure.

But never has Billy raced so quickly, gripped with such a personal terror. He’s not sure his foot had ever left the acceleration pedal after he’d gotten the call, Sean’s uneasy voice on the other end of the line.

_We just thought you should know. Something’s happens to Todd…We’ll all heading to the hospital now. Billy, It’s not good._

One final turn around, feet sliding across the linoleum corner and he’s in the waiting room.

He nearly wretches at the scene.

Eileen is pale as a ghost. Her eyes, red and watery, stare blankly ahead as Eva rubs circles on her back, crying quietly too.

Pat is in the corner, police officers on either side, his shirt and hands covered with the dark red of drying blood.

_Todd’s blood._

Billy stumbles back, faint.

“What’s happened?” Billy says to no one in particular, the words little more than a shaky breath, only to feel Sean’s hand on his shoulder.

“Todd’s been shot.”

“What?”

Sean looks sadder than he’s ever seen him, which is really saying something considering everything that has happened between them recently. He nods grimly, his arms crossed tight across his chest, his shoulders high by his ears.

“Is he…?”

“He’s in surgery now.”

Billy presses his palm to his mouth, choking on the tears. Then with a bitter set of his jaw he growls, “I knew getting into business with Pat Phelan would end in disaster. Why is he here? Why haven’t they arrested him?”

“Because he didn’t do it,” Sean says. “It was that Vinny bloke who shot him. The whole project, total scam. Pat and Vinny were only going to fleece people of their deposits and never actually build the flats. Can you believe it?”

“No, that’s horrible” Billy says, hoping he sounds surprised even though he’s known about Pat’s scheme for weeks.

“Vinny walked in on Todd taking pictures on his phone of false documents and that’s when he shot him. Pat stormed in, got the gun away from him and knock him out before things got worse. He was the one to call 999 and stem the bleeding until the medics got there. It was all very dramatic. But I guess there everyone can be a hero if they want to be, even the likes of him.”

Sean tosses a conflicted look in Pat’s general direction and moves to sit by Eileen but Billy grabs his elbow.

“Thank you,” he says. “For calling me, I…”

“Course. I know things have been hard for...well, all of us, lately but...I know you,” He shrugs. “I knew you’d want to be here.”

Billy nods, giving Sean a weak look of thanks which Sean takes with an even weaker smile.

Billy collapses into the closest chair and drags a long, painful breath into his lungs. It hadn’t been so long ago that he and Todd had sat in this very same A&E room through the long hours of that mad night and Todd had expressed just how desperately he wanted to be with him. Heart on his sleeve, Todd had pleaded - _promised_ \- to do anything if it meant Billy would give him a second chance.

Because he loved him so damn much and he knew Billy still loved him too.

He hadn’t even tried to deny it.

But Billy had still felt unsure. The feelings of betrayal after what Todd had done with the Bishop and confusion at his sudden alliance with Phelan were still too fresh. Todd had been quick to say he’d stop working with Phelan, if that made a difference. That he’d tell him to take his dodgy plan and stuff it.

Is that why they are here, then? Had Todd tried to back out, only to have been threatened because he knew too much? Had Todd truly risked his life simply to get back into Billy’s?

Even though he didn’t think it possible, Billy’s heart breaks even more.

With no news and only time to wait, he does the one thing he can rely on. Palms pressed tight, eyes closed, he prays.

Even though he’d been questioning his role as a Vicar in the past few weeks, he had never questioned his belief in an all powerful and all loving God. So he asks that God to look over Todd now, to spread his light and love over him, to keep the surgeon's hands steady and swift, to bring Todd back to him safe and whole.

He doesn’t realize he’s crying until he opens his eyes at the sound of the doctor calling Eileen’s name.

He blinks several times, wipes at the dampness on his cheeks and hangs on every word.

“It was touch and go for a while. The bleeding was quite extensive but the bullet missed any major organs. It could have been much worse if the injury hadn’t been tended to quickly.” The doctor nods at a stone faced Phelan while Eileen eyes him uncomfortably. He may have helped Todd tonight, but he’d also dragged all of them into this horrific debacle too.

“It’ll be a while before he’s back on his feet, but I see no reason why he won’t make a full recovery.”

Eileen sobs as Eva leans in for a two armed hug. “Thank god,” Sean murmurs and Billy actually does.

“He’ll still be quite heavily sedated but you can come see him once we have him settled into a recovery room.”

It’s as if the air has returned to the room.

Sean offers to go get tea. Eva leaves the room to try to reach Jason again. “I don’t care what bloody time in the morning it is in Vietnam or Thailand or wherever he is now, he needs to know.”

The two police officers explain that have to take Phelan with them for further questioning, not just about to night but about Vinny and his associates and their fraudulent plan. It’s quite likely he won’t be getting out of custody anytime soon.

“You gonna be alright?” He asks Eileen.

“As long as Todd is fine, then I am too.” She can’t bring herself to look at him.

“Eileen, I…”

“Don’t,” She says with a finality sharp enough to turn Pat on his heel and out of the room.

That leaves Billy on his own with Eileen, feeling a bit out of place with his ex-boyfriend’s mother.

“What a night, eh, Vicar?” Eileen rests her head back against the wall and Billy watches the stress melt off her body.

“Eileen, I’m... so glad he’ll be alright. I’ll come by in the morning; see if you need anything.” Billy stands awkwardly when Eileen says nothing. “I’ll leave you to it.”

“Billy, don’t be daft. Stay,” she says before he can even take a step. She still looks terribly tired but her smile is warm and knowing. “You know as well as I do that you’re the only one he’s really going to want to see when he wakes up.”

*

Todd’s fallen back asleep by the time they let Billy in.

“He was asking after you,” Eileen had said with a sweet smile and a kind touch to his arm. For as much as she’d made her unhappy opinions known when they first got together, she was clearly rooting for them now.

Billy has to admit that feels good.

The lights are dimmed. The machines he’s hooked up to silently keep track of his steady heartbeat, his even breath. Billy watches it for a moment, grateful.

It’s harder than he thought it would be, seeing Todd in his hospital bed, pale and still. So as he takes Todd’s hand in his and settles into the bedside chair, he feels the tears begin anew.

Things are such a mess between them at the moment, so complicated and difficult, but it doesn’t change how he feels. And truth be told, the mess is part of what he loves about Todd. It’s never dull, his days are full of unexpected and challenging things because Todd’s never happy to settle for the status quo. Even if he goes about trying to fix things in the completely wrong, ill-advised way, it has forced Billy to reconsider things in his life he’d just taken for granted. There is something brilliant in the way Todd’s mind works, clever and a bit wicked, but he’d be lying if Billy said that didn’t fascinate him.

Todd is not a simple man to love. But love him he does. And the thought of losing Todd, as they almost had tonight, is something Billy couldn’t have faced. Not now. Not ever.

They have to find a way to work past the drama, to find forgiveness. To be stronger.

Because Billy can’t lose him.  

He cradles Todd’s hand in both his now, bringing it to his lips reverently. He settles in for the long wait when he hears Todd’s voice, hoarse and weak, slow with sedative and pain.

“Told you I was trouble.”

“Hey you,” Billy says, his heart leaping as he stands quickly to give him a proper look over. “You’re awake.”

Billy’s smile quickly morphs into a look of worry as Todd winces, swallowing with difficulty. Billy looks for water and find a full cup on the table opposite him. Todd eagerly takes the straw, watching Billy carefully as he drinks.

“Thanks,” Todd says, his voice slightly clearer after.  Even so, he grimaces as he tries to sit up in the bed.

“You need anything? I can get the nurse…”

“No, I’m alright. Relatively speaking.” Todd settles back against the pillows and Billy sits once more.

“You gave us such a fright tonight, Todd.”

“I just couldn’t let them get away with it. Taking Jas’ money, leading on my mum, fooling everyone, using me. It was worth the risk if they got my pictures.”

“If who got your pictures?” Billy asks confused.

“The police. I think I managed to send them off before…” He gestures at his abdomen and the bandages beneath the blankets.

Had that been his plan all along? To just get enough information to get them both sent down only to find himself in way deeper water than expected. That fool-hearted bravery makes Billy oddly proud.

“Well, Vinny’s been arrested and Pat’s in custody. So it looks like you did.” Billy smiles wide, clasping Todd’s arm. “Look at you, my little vigilante.”

They share a look at the possessive pronoun, both recognizing what it means.

“I’m glad you’re here. When mum told me I...” Todd eyes already beginning to droop. But even so, Billy can see him trying to work up the energy for a full throttle apology, a long soliloquy on why he did what he did and wishing he could make things right.  “Billy…”

“Shhh, Todd, rest.”

“But I’m…”

“I know, sweetheart, I know.” He cards his hand through Todd’s soft hair and Todd exhales deeply. “We’ve got loads to talk about.  But later, alright?  Right now you need to rest. Get well. Will you do that for me?”

Todd nods, eyes fluttering closed.

“I’ll be here when you wake up, alright?”

And Todd might already be asleep but Billy says it anyway. It’s as much for himself as it is Todd, after all.

“I’m not going anywhere.”


End file.
